Mumbai-based Arpita Mittal is CEO of Helen O’Grady International India (HOGII, estb.2003), the India affiliate of the eponymous Australia-based drama education academy founded in 1979 by Helen O’Grady, a renowned theatre teacher and actress. HOGII offers in-school and after-school theatre, English language and personality development programmes to 50,000 children in over 500 schools through 80 licenced franchisees across the country. Moreover, the academy also offers early childhood care and education (ECCE) teacher training programmes.

Newspeg. In January, the academy’s Mumbai centre graduated its first batch of 65 teachers from its six-month Helen O’Grady International Early Childhood Care and Education certificate programme, whose differentiating feature is an introduction to drama and theatre education. 

History. An English postgraduate of Bhopal University, Mittal began her career as an assistant lecturer in the Government Degree College, Bhopal, and later worked in Bhavan’s, Narsee Monjee and Rizvi colleges, Mumbai. This was followed by stints in the language development department of the Swedish Embassy, New Delhi and as language production supervisor at Walt Disney’s Disney Character Voices International, Mumbai. In 2003, inspired by Helen O’Grady International’s innovative drama education and English language learning programmes, she signed up with the Oz-based academy to start its India operations. 

Direct talk. “The objective of our programmes is to promote education and personal development through drama. Our curriculums include enjoyable drama activities designed to draw out quiet, inarticulate children, enable confident expression, and teach them to relate to their peers and develop essential life skills. HOGII programmes for children in the 3-18 year age group are delivered by well-trained teachers who use theatre and drama to help children develop self-confidence, and English language presentation and public speaking skills. While elocution and theatre is a compulsory subject in the curriculums of international exam boards, an increasing number of CBSE and CISCE schools have also signed up for our in-curriculum and after-class programmes,” says Mittal. 

Tuition fee. Rs.250-500 per child per month.

Future plans. Helen O’Grady India has partnered with Archana Dange, a master franchisee in Tamil Nadu, to launch five Helen O’Grady preschools in Coimbatore, Goa and Bangalore during the next six months. “While we will continue to focus on expanding our drama education network to reach more children in K-12 schools, we have also launched an ambitious plan to promote preschools focused on providing early childhood education through drama-based pedagogies,” says Mittal.

Sruthy Susan Ullas (Bangalore)